GOVERNMENT is set to dole out new top-of-the-range vehicles and increase allowances for chiefs, in a move that critics claim is in preparation for elections slated for next year.

Chiefs have been clamouring for an increase in their allowances from January and the timing of the award has been described as curious.
Sources revealed that the allowances have been increased from US$200 to US$300 on top of other perks. The added perks are the fines that the chiefs levy on their subjects.

The new figures will make civil servants, who have been told that their salaries will not be increased any time soon because government is broke, green with envy.

The sources added that the traditional leaders, currently driving the Mazda single cabs, are set to get twin cabs, most likely the Mazda BT50.

Chiefs say the new perks are necessary and befitting of their status.

“The government has assented to the demands of the chiefs,” an official at the Local Government ministry said.

“Chiefs made the demands for twin cabs, saying it is the only way of restoring their status and that they cannot be seen driving single cabs when legislators are driving twin cabs.”

A chief from Umguza, Matabeleland North last week confirmed the development as long overdue.  
“It was long overdue, we are more important than legislators and we cannot be seen to be lesser to them,” said the chief who requested anonymity.

Local Government Minister, Ignatius Chombo said chiefs were supposed to be treated as legislators and could buy any car of their choice.

“If he wants a Range Rover then be it, the government sets the limits of the amount to be spent on cars, but they have the right like other MPs (Members of Parliament),” he said.

Chombo said most chiefs had since received their cars and there were between 25 and 30 traditional leaders, who were yet to benefit from the scheme.

On the allowances, the minister said the government had approved the new rates, but at the time treasury was broke.

“There is nothing new here, the government approved these rates and now they are being implemented,” he said.

Chombo would not be drawn to comment on criticism that this was a ploy to buy chiefs, loyalty ahead of elections, which President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai want held next year.

Zanu PF has long been accused of using chiefs as a conduit for building up their support base in rural areas.

Towards past elections, Zanu PF has been known to regularly fete chiefs and dole out incentives, which critics claim is blatant vote-buying.

Civil servants representative organisations’ immediately condemned the new incentives, describing the move as insensitive to their plight.

Ironically, this comes a few days after Tsvangirai told the public servants that Treasury was broke.

Tsvangirai told civil servants at a meeting early last week that government was sensitive to their plight but Treasury was broke to afford pay increases.

Sifiso Ndlovu, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association CEO said the new allowances and vehicles for chiefs were a clear build-up to next year’s polls.

“This is a clear build-up to the elections so that the chiefs’ canvass for Zanu PF, it’s a clear sign of politics taking precedence over the plight of civil servants,” Ndlovu said.

“When it comes to civil servants, politicians are long on speeches but short on action and this only creates a dysfunctional bureaucracy where civil servants will be physically at work but absent minded from duty in protest over low salaries.”

Rodrick Fayayo, the spokesperson for the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

added: “It’s a clear indication that the government is insincere about the plight of civil servants.
“We are living in a country where the abnormal has been normalised, where a chief gets more pay than a civil servant who sweats day in day out but does not get rewarded.”

By The Standard